1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 153

Fortunately, she wasn't carrying anything she shouldn't have, otherwise the SS would have been mobilized, and Liu Ting wouldn't have seen the living Huang Yun, but rather a cold, aloof Huang Yun.

Liu Ting cursed the whole way, while Huang Yun just laughed mindlessly, completely unaware that she had just walked through the gates of hell.

In name, any citizen of the People's Republic of China can buy a ticket to enter the Forbidden City, and non-classified departments can be opened to you for a look. But in reality, no one dares to do that. Only a very few reckless people would do it in a year.

Unless you have a tremendous injustice, if you dare to go to the square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the presidential palace and hold up a sign, and you can't give a clear explanation, the SS will skin you alive and eat you to pieces!

"You still dare to laugh? Do you know where that is?" When they arrived at the door, Liu Ting saw Huang Yun still grinning foolishly, and he became even angrier.

Despite his anger, Liu Ting noticed that two buttons on Huang Yun's clothes had been torn open by the previous agents, so he still reached out and carefully buttoned them up for her.

"You're so gentle even when you're angry, you're just a little timid." Huang Yun smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons, revealing a few big white teeth as she looked at Liu Ting.

Liu Ting was speechless: "How can you be so fearless? You dare to come all the way to Beijing by yourself. Do you know that if you say the wrong thing today, you'll be in the Security Bureau's interrogation room?"

Huang Yun tossed her hair over her shoulder, her big, bright eyes still fixed on Liu Ting: "I'm not afraid. With you here, what do I have to be afraid of?"

Liu Ting sighed helplessly and opened the door: "Stay at my house for now. I have to rush back to work. I'll settle the score after I get off work. You young lady, you have no manners at all. You dare to do anything. What kind of behavior is this?"

Upon entering the house, Liu's mother saw her son return with a girl. She was so overwhelmed with emotion that she dropped the basin of water she was holding. Tears streamed down her face as she rushed forward to greet him. Finally, her stubborn son had blossomed.

Liu Ting didn't have time to think about anything else. He handed the person over to his mother and hurried back to his department.

As soon as Liu Ting returned to the department, he heard his minister, Dai Mingde, standing at the office door, cursing loudly. Liu Ting didn't know what was going on, so he simply ignored him and went back to his office to get back to work.

Chapter 252 Spiritual Construction

"Hmph, this Zhu Jing, why is she so calculating?"

"It's all about wining and dining or facilitating bidding to transfer benefits. It's all outdated stuff, utterly trivial, like showing off one's limited skills before an expert!"

Inside the Imperial Study, Zhao Yan looked at the documents that had been delivered to him. He could see the trickery at a glance, but he didn't expose it. With a little incentive, his subordinates had also put in effort, at least to maintain appearances and ensure that the procedures were legal and compliant. So Zhao Yan turned a blind eye.

Zhao Yan himself offered himself a monthly salary of over 1,300 yuan, with a monthly meal allowance of nearly 400 yuan. He even secretly pocketed the money for the Forbidden City tickets. The eldest brother doesn't laugh at the second brother, does he?

Zhao Yan didn't quite understand it before, but now that he has a family to support, he understands it a bit better. They all have large families behind them, and there are no special privileges or titles to pass down. It's only natural for them to take a little something, and they don't get it for free. They still have to work after taking it.

This is much more respectable than sitting in an office and collecting money without doing anything. Zhao Yan himself has come up with all sorts of excuses to pay himself ridiculously high salaries, so you can't blame his subordinates for using projects to make a living. It's not easy living in the capital.

Zhao Yan flipped through the documents and continued reading. When he saw the technical equipment review documents recently submitted by the Joint Logistics Department, Zhao Yan nodded and said, "The technical descriptions and understanding are satisfactory, the review details are satisfactory, and the suggestions are reasonable."

"This can serve as a model for future document submissions by the Joint Logistics Command!"

Secretary Li Lide immediately wrote down these two sentences, preparing to pass them on to the Joint Logistics Department later.

Zhao Yan continued reading and immediately saw the signature at the end of the document: Liu Ting!

Zhao Yan's expression was somewhat strange. He turned to his secretary and asked, "Isn't this Liu Ting the girl who was holding up a sign at my door a few days ago looking for me?"

The secretary quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, this person is the Director of the Technical Equipment Bureau of the Joint Logistics Command under the Ministry of National Defense, an Army Colonel. He previously worked in the Ministry of Industry and was later transferred to the Ministry of National Defense as an officer."

Born into a Chinese-American family, grew up in Chinatown in the US, and apparently is a high-achieving graduate of a prestigious university.

Zhao Yan understood: "No wonder, those who studied abroad are different. They are talented, but their lifestyle seems to be lacking."

"This guy is said to be attractive to both men and women, is that true or not?"

The secretary looked embarrassed and pointed to the historian in the corner, saying, "Your Majesty, the historian is here. We need to be serious."

Zhao Yan said with dissatisfaction, "What's wrong with gossiping a little now and then? The head of state is a person too. I was just curious. That guy Dai Mingde is clearly married. I even gave a red envelope for his child's one-month celebration. I didn't expect him to have an office romance. Tsk tsk!"

Zhao Yan recalled Dai Mingde's appearance. This guy was a glutton, overweight, with a round face, a big belly, and a full beard. He seemed to be from Sichuan, which explained it.

"What a pity, Liu Ting was a perfectly good and outstanding young military officer. I don't know if he was forced or if it was voluntary. There's nowhere to complain about this kind of thing!" Zhao Yan sighed, thinking that he would help this poor officer if he could in the future.

Continuing to flip through the next document, Zhao Yangang glanced at it for a few seconds before intending to skim through it. It was a "Report on the Development of National Sports Activities" submitted by Hubei Province.

"Yes, that's right. We need to develop both the economy and sports for all. A strong Chinese people cannot be separated from the support of sports."

Zhao Yan nodded repeatedly, but soon sensed something was wrong and turned his gaze back to look at it carefully again.

"Huh? The National Martial Arts Tournament?!"

"Forty-eight dead, more than one hundred and twenty wounded, and it's still not over?"

"Does Hubei Province think this is some kind of achievement?!"

"Absurd, utterly absurd!"

"What is Hubei Province trying to do? Who is the governor?!"

The secretary quickly replied, "The current governor of Hubei Province is Liu Damang, formerly the prefect of Xiangtan Prefecture in Hunan Province during the Qing Dynasty. Before participating in the uprising and revolution, he was the director of the Sports Department of the Ministry of Culture, and later the vice minister of the Ministry of Culture. He was transferred to Hubei Province this year to serve as governor."

It seems this guy was a martial arts graduate who rose through the ranks and became a prefect based on his military achievements.

Zhao Yan slammed his fist on the table: "I think he should quit being the governor and become the leader of the martial arts alliance!"

"And they're still spouting this nonsense about competitive sports increasing the fighting spirit and martial virtues of the Chinese people. What a load of crap! Any real men with fighting spirit and martial virtues have been killed by them!"

"Tell Hubei Province to stop immediately and cease this competition. We are a legitimate government, a republican government, not some damn bandit king!"

Zhao Yan was furious. The casualty rate at the sports meet was so high, almost like a war. It was truly outrageous.

However, it was actually understandable. When Liu Damang was the director of the Sports Department, Zhang Boling, then the vice minister of the Ministry of Culture and Education, led a delegation to the London Olympics. Due to insufficient preparation and unfamiliarity with the rules, they were almost defeated.

The only gold medal they won was in the dueling event, a pistol duel. The Chinese athletes refused to accept using wax pellets to fight dummy opponents and insisted on having a real duel with European athletes.

The Europeans weren't intimidated and readily accepted. Then came the flintlock musket shooting. In the first round, none of the shots hit vital organs. The Chinese athlete then swung his fencing sword and stabbed the British athlete to death, winning the gold medal. As for the silver medal, it wasn't awarded.

This gold medal was China's first ever Olympic gold medal, and also the only result of sending a delegation to the Olympics for the first time.

Later, after Liu Damang took over the sports department, he applied to host the Olympic Games, but the Europeans rejected the application outright and mocked China as a sports desert with no sportsmanship whatsoever.

Liu Damang never forgot the humiliation he suffered. When he was demoted to a local post as governor, he decided to promote sports. He organized the first National Martial Arts Tournament to select some top athletes to further solidify China's dominance in combat sports at the next Olympics.

Therefore, Hubei Province's "Competitive Sports Games" became quite absurd under the management of this governor, who was a trained athlete.

The competition consists of three main categories: unarmed combat, armed combat, and mounted archery. Unarmed combat is about fists and feet, armed combat is about swords, spears, and halberds, and mounted archery is about horseback riding and slashing!

But if someone dares to organize it, then someone else will dare to participate!

After the news of the Hubei Province “Competitive Sports Games” spread, it became the first martial arts competition held by the people. There were many rumors and misinformation, and some people even spread rumors that if it was to select the number one martial arts master, it would be to select the imperial bodyguard!

Martial artists from all schools and sects in the north and south enthusiastically participated, and they all disliked each other.

In his first encounter, Ip Man of Yongchun faced Huo Yuanjia of Cangzhou. Both were severely injured. Fortunately, Ip Man was only eighteen or nineteen years old and only broke a few ribs, while Huo Yuanjia, who was much older, almost died.

Southern fists and northern legs, swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks and forks—none of them would yield to the other. On stage, let alone armed combat, people often died even unarmed.

And in the horse archery competition, not a single contestant left the competition site intact.

The match became so bloody that even the audience couldn't bear to watch, and the organizers had to stop it halfway through. Even Liu Damang himself felt it was a bit outrageous.

However, the officials called for a halt, but the participants were still dissatisfied and found a place to compete privately, and the casualty data was still included.

The martial arts tournament ended abruptly after about ten days, and there was no champion. If it had continued, everyone would have died. After all, none of them practiced fancy moves; they all used killing techniques, and every move was a deadly strike.

These days, you can kill people with Tai Chi? Can you believe it?

Hubei Province was also losing face, so they hired a group of ghostwriters to use euphemisms to describe the "sports event" in an attempt to get away with it, but Zhao Yan saw through their scheme at a glance.

Now all the sects and factions in the martial arts world are sworn enemies. Every family has had fellow disciples killed by the other side, especially the North and South factions, whose rivalry is extremely intense.

In normal sports meets, friendship comes first and competition second. But in this national martial arts competition, safety comes first and life second.

Everyone else is losing money, only the bookmakers who set up betting pools are winning big. Many matches either end in mutual destruction or result in mutual destruction. There are no winners or losers, only the bookmakers who take all the winnings.

The provincial government also has to bear huge medical expenses and compensation, and every day a group of gangsters carry stretchers to petition in front of the provincial government.

"What a mess! Someone, bring over Zhang Boling, the Minister of Education. If he doesn't know how, he shouldn't pretend to. I'll teach him how to organize a sports meet!"

"Where in the world can you find a sports meet where so many people die and so much money is lost?!"

Zhang Boling was prepared. He knew he couldn't hide it from Zhao Yan, so after hearing the summons, he immediately appeared in the Imperial Study to be scolded.

There was nothing he could do. He had recommended Liu Damang to work in the local area, hoping he could help develop local cultural and sports undertakings. But not only did he get his face exposed and get beaten up, he also couldn't hide his backside and it was all exposed.

As expected, Zhao Yan started cursing as soon as they met.

But even after you've finished scolding, the problem still needs to be solved. That's one of Zhao Yan's good points: he won't let you get scolded for nothing; after he's done, he'll tell you what to do next.

As the leader, it's not enough to just yell at people; you also need to give them the right instructions after you've finished yelling.

Zhao Yan decided to hold a World Games next year, 1912, officially called the World Sports Games. He didn't expect to have any hope of the Olympic Games in Europe, as the activities of the white world had nothing to do with the Chinese.

Even if the host country were India or Japan, it wouldn't be China's turn. Besides, given the Western culture, history, and traditions, why should the Chinese offer their enthusiasm to someone who doesn't appreciate it?

If you won't play with me, I'll just create a brand new version myself!

Either do nothing or do everything. Only children make choices; adults want it all!

Zhao Yan decided to start the World Games next June and continue until the end of the year, encompassing both the Summer and Winter Games. The World Games should include all the events that the Olympics have, and also events that the Olympics do not have!

In addition to the Olympic events, Zhao Yan also requested that the FIFA World Cup, the All-Star Basketball Game, the Car Rally, the Tour of Northeast China Cycling Race, and the Hainan Island Motorcycle Race be held concurrently.

"Huh? Your Excellency, organizing so many competitions at once, how many venues and facilities will that require? How much money will that cost?"

"And then there's the huge prize money you mentioned: one million for the World Cup champion team, five hundred thousand for basketball, five hundred thousand for car rally, two hundred thousand for cycling, two hundred thousand for motorcycle racing, and there are also prize money for the runner-up and third place. That's too extravagant!"

Zhao Yan is definitely the type who either doesn't do things at all, or if he does, he does them perfectly. All the medals are pure gold, and the trophies are silver plated with gold and inlaid with gemstones. This isn't just organizing a sports meet; it's practically throwing money around!

The tournament rewards were outrageous enough, but the key issue was the venues. Zhao Yan demanded that professional stadiums be built all over the country, and a giant stadium that could accommodate 60,000 spectators at the same time was to be built in Beijing.

The supporting tracks and infrastructure require a massive investment of money; a rough estimate would put at least 40 to 50 million yuan into it.

"Idiot, we'll pay a small share, and the sponsors will pay the big share. If we don't fleece the sponsors, what kind of sports meet is that?"

"Remember this: for these kinds of events, business comes first, competition comes second!"

"For the World Games, you should go find sponsors for alcohol, beverages, food and clothing. Don't even bother with sponsorships under 500,000. Poor people shouldn't advertise. Exclusive sponsorship starts at least at one million."

"Sponsorship slots for the World Cup and basketball tournaments are more expensive. For car rally races, you should find domestic manufacturers, have them build cars and form teams to participate, and whoever wins the championship will be given priority in future official purchases!"

"But not a single penny of the sponsorship and advertising fees that should be collected can be reduced!"

"It's the same with bicycle races and motorcycle races. Those people are smarter than monkeys. They will never let go of an opportunity to make a name for themselves directly to the whole country or even the world."

"Tell them that if they pay enough, I'll personally advertise for them, but I need half of the advertising fee; the rest goes to the organizing committee!"

Zhang Boling said plaintively, "Your Excellency, how can you show your face for such a trivial matter? I think I should personally handle the advertising."

Zhao Yan knew immediately that this old man was reluctant to spend money. He said angrily, "Then give me the plan fee and the design fee. When it's done, calculate a budget, not too much, two or three million, and transfer it directly to the logistics account of the Presidential Palace!"

Zhang Boling immediately backed down: "Forget it then, it's better to rely on ourselves. It's good that you're doing some advertising, but don't try to take advantage of our Ministry of Education."

Zhao Yan continued to emphasize: "A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men. We must use money as an incentive and reward for athletes. Just talking about honors is useless; it has to be money!"

Don't be as stingy as Europeans; be willing to spend money. For ordinary events, the champion's reward starts at 10,000 yuan, the runner-up at 5,000 yuan, and the third-place winner at 3,000 yuan. For major events, the champion team's reward starts at least at 100,000 yuan.

“National teams from other countries may be able to resist due to political reasons, but their civilian teams absolutely cannot resist participating!”

"And when dealing with sponsors, we must prioritize service and attitude. We must never put on airs or act like officials. We should treat ourselves as service staff. They are paying money, and we are making money. There's no shame in that!"

"We must make full use of the unparalleled publicity power and credibility of the official platform. I will instruct the publicity department to cooperate with your work and make this unprecedented World Games a resounding success!"

"Remember, this is not just a sporting event, but a complex political and economic propaganda campaign. We want to promote to the world the achievements and features of our nation over the past five years since its founding."

"We want the world to recognize China's strength and spirit, and to use sports as a means to achieve our political and economic goals. That's the fundamental goal!"

When Zhang Boling arrived, he was as if he had lost his parents; he was there purely to be scolded. But when he left, he was as if he were bathed in a spring breeze and full of high spirits!

The former Ministry of Culture and Education was a powerless department, not even comparable to the Ministry of Education. Its core work was to summarize and develop the ideological field of traditional Chinese civilization and to compile historical books.

But if this World Games is a resounding success and makes a fortune, then the Ministry of Education and Culture will have to be renamed the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and will become a highly sought-after department in the central government!

Chapter 253 World Games: Showcasing China's Strength!

August 18, 1911, Beijing.

The previously obscure Ministry of Education and Culture suddenly made a big splash, holding a grand press conference in conjunction with the Propaganda Department to announce that it would host the first World Sports Games next year!

In addition to the traditional track and field events of the Olympics, the competition has added many new events such as swimming, strength, and endurance.

They also announced that they would simultaneously hold the World Cup football tournament, the All-Star basketball game, a car rally, and many other ancillary events, with the competitions scheduled to begin around June next year.

This round of rapid news releases ignited public opinion across the country and even attracted global attention.

The Republican government has never engaged in any official activities. Apart from war and infrastructure projects, the Republican government rarely spends money on other activities.

But this time, they are investing huge sums of money in sports events. Europeans used to mock the Chinese as barbarians and ridicule them as East Asian brutes. But the Chinese have given them a surprise in return.

Compared to the massive investment in China's World Games, the European Olympics seem incredibly stingy. As for whether the Chinese are truly shrewd or just boasting, no one doubts that. Chinese officials, including President Zhao Yan, are always engaging in backstabbing and lying in private, but once they say something publicly and sign it down, they are obligated to do it.

Laymen watch the spectacle, experts see the details; people at home and abroad, as well as sports enthusiasts, are extremely excited about such a comprehensive and large-scale event.

But those in higher positions and insiders began to see the tricks of the trade, because Zhao Yan never did business at a loss, and the fact that he was willing to spend so much money must be because of greater profits.

Sure enough, when the Ministry of Education and the Propaganda Department jointly issued a "Sponsor Assessment and Bidding Details (Provisional)", even the vampires on Wall Street fell silent, and the Jews choked up.